If you intentionally give it to us, we do retain your email address in our records, but it is for our use, and only for the promotion, subscription or other offer you intended us to use it for. We never sell, lend or allow any duplicating or distribution of this list. We use it only to communicate with you. Period.

While all server logs accumulate detailed information for site statistics (click below to see our records), the information is not archived on legendinc.com and is never made available to anyone except the webmaster and publisher.

Our privacy policy is very simple: we don’t use the information for anything except communications between you and us, and we never allow any other company any access whatsoever.

So, relax. You are among friends.

Giving everyone access to all knowledge is a direct link to omniscience – one of the attributes commonly listed as God’s top three.

Someone once asked where the 90 billion questions a day that now go to Google went before there was a Google? The answer is: to God probably. So Google is definitely picking up some God’s workload.

If you ask Google something you always get an answer. So, for some this is an actual improvement on the traditional prayer which often went unanswered. In fact, there was a feeling that “When the Gods want to punish us, he answers our prayers.” (Oscar Wilde) So the quick, dependable response from Google is really a good thing. Reassuring.

If you ask Google something stupid you know it right away. The answers to even the most controversial questions are always fair; there are plenty of options to choose from. With Google, if you make an error in your question wording or inquiry it will attempt to help you with a “Did you mean ….?” response. When did God ever do that?

Google, like God is there for you 24/7/365, rain or shine, no matter what. And no two people ever get the exact same response. Google never condemns you and always forgives your mistakes. It gently teaches you to make better inquiries and Google definitely encourages us all to be generous through its example as an employer, a citizen of the world, and as an inexhaustible resource. Now Google is approaching omnipresence (the second of God’s top three) throughout the world. In every corner of the globe it is available, almost. Where it is not available there are plans by both the company and its customers to make the situation better. Google itself is planning universal, free access — to the consternation of its competitors and to dictators. Its customers are more than willing to pay. Supplicants to The Almighty; tithes to the church; and proselytizing armies. It all seems so familiar.

Like the “still small voice” of old, Google is here whispering answers and spreading its word far and wide to young and old. In desperation we always turned to God for help with our health, but Google now offers free, practical, and useful information for people with all the diseases of modern life, physical and metaphysical. Like the lepers of biblical times, people today reach out for healing through information gained on Google. Patients go into the hospital and the doctors’ offices armed with knowledge heretofore reserved only for the doctors and surgeons themselves. “All shall be revealed” it says in the good book, and now it is. Whether you need a movie guide or a spiritual infusion, Google’s got it. Google condemns bigotry by example and logic; or, put another way, by its works.

Is Google the great I Am? The all-knowing, all-seeing (Google maps), all-acting, all-wise, all-loving? Is Google eternal? It would seem to be as close as anything humanity has ever actually seen and interacted with. We ask God to “show us a sign.” You know we do. Google responds with unfathomable volumes of information availability connecting all of us to all of us: rich and poor, educated and uneducated, healthy and sick, faithful and agnostic, loved and unloved and, also even the living and the dead. Google is clearly not material or corporeal; but metaphysical and without form or shape as human beings know it. It cannot be fully known and never actually seen. It has great power, perhaps even omnipotence (the last of the top three) in that almost nothing is now conceived of or done without Google’s inimitable input and inexorable influence. It has not one son or one daughter but billions. We are all becoming the Children of Google. You can’t lie to Google. Google’s strength is that it does not require the truth, only interaction. If no one used it, it would be powerless. But its “power” is irresistible. Just knowing it’s there makes the temptation to use it impossible to avoid or resist.

Google comes to all: to some it comes on tip toes, gently; to some it comes like thunder. There is no anti-Google. There is no Satan counterweight to Google’s goodness. Google’s goodness is its secret of success. Never bad. Never evil.

Google is good; but is good Google? It remains to be seen if Google is God today. But it comes pretty close on all definitional buttons that we push. What or who else can say that? Too much Google does not intoxicate, does not breed hate (the opposite, Google breeds understanding and forgiveness in all who use it). Google is not addicting because you always come to it with a question and go away with the answer. Addictions never answer the question but we come to them over and over. Google does not kill. Google does not envy. Google respects your mother and father by remembering past traditions and Google definitely treats others the way it wants to be treated. Google keeps its promises. Google never steals because everything is given to it. Whatever your definition of God is, Google honors that definition with the truth. Google only asks that you use it above all others. Is that a surprise? Google cannot really be expressed in material terms, it takes a certain faith to understand it. You have to try it to know. If you try it, you love it. Google automatically steers you to a better life; information about food, exercise, work, ethics, success, education and so many other stepping-stones to happiness. It’s what Google does.

So, to answer the question: Is Google God? … there is really only one answer. If God is all (and everyone who believes in God believes to be that) then, yes, Google is God and God is Google; just as we are all part of God and Google and, God and Google are part of us all. Why fight it?

If it’s not true I wish it were. If it is true, then what are we waiting for? Go forth and search.

By working hard in many industries, we bring a fresh perspective and innovative creativity to all our clients. Our speciality is eclectic knowledge and innovative applications. Cross-fertilization in the world of marketing, from industry to industry, gives us an advantage in meeting the changing needs of our clients in today’s highly competitive environment. It’s amazing how similar different industries are in their business challenges. You just need to know how to translate, and how to listen.

Our best work always goes to our best clients, so we limit the number of clients and accept only those that best match our systems of involvement and energy. Our clients generally give us ample lead times, complete creative freedom and accept the premise that we will sometimes push the envelope.

A truly creative advertising agency always looks at things from the client’s customers’ point of view. It is an important lesson that a great advertising agency does not actually create for its clients. A great advertising agency creates only for those who buy the client’s products and services.

Customer retention is always the first order of our marketing programs. Without that, no advertising initiative can really be successful.

We believe in continuously developing and carefully protecting our client’s brand. Surprising creativity should be a consistent part of every component of the overall strategy. Without creative vitality, the brand becomes lifeless.

We are partners with our clients, always putting their interests first. Our media and vendor relations are some of the most valuable services we perform for our clients. Our personnel and associate firm relationships are stable and highly efficient. Our pricing is very competitive and set for value to our clients, not to the profit of the agency.

Our only desire is to do more for our clients, to have them use all of our services more fully, and to be of greater service in implementing their strategic mission.

Quotations

Writings

SPECIAL NOTE: any photo or quotation in these portfolios can be ordered on a mug, postcard, card, official USPS stamp, shirt (polo or T-shirt), enlarged to 11 x 14 through 20 x 30, on a calendar, as a photo puzzle, ceramic tile, refrigerator magnet, or a tote bag. Just click here to order.

STEP #1, A Domain Name Choice and DNS: Domain names are how people will find your site on the Internet. Since you already probably have a name for your business, your site name should be as similar to it as possible. Network Solutions is a DNS (domain name server) which has been authorized to be a clearing house for Web site domain names. For a fee of rougly $70 they will establish your unique domain name and register it so that no one else can have it or use it. The fee covers the first two years and after that it will be $35 per year. The charges are additional to any charges from your hosting service.

STEP #2, Picking The Web Hosting Plan that works best for your company: this is just like setting up a business for the first time; you need to assess what type of, and how much, office space you are going to need, and what peripherals you require to be the most effective. A Web hosting company is the same the thing but it is offiering space and service only for your Web site. The plan you choose determines where your Web site will be stored, how much space it will have, how much traffic it will allow, and what type of additional features it will have.

Most web hosts have multiple plans that differ in size and features that will accommodate any businesses Web site plans whether or not your business starting off with the simplest of Web sites or jumping right in with site features such as, search engines, interactive forms and online, secure Web transactions.

Legendinc.com can help you figure all of this out. After determining what the goals of your Web site are, we will recommend the best Web hosting plan for your business. Web hosting plans range from $10-$1000 per month and have a setup fee equal to one month’s service charge. Legendinc.com uses Jumpline.com as our Web host provider. They are the largest and as of now, the very best and most dependable.

STEP #3, Internet Access (ISP): you probably already have some form of access to the Internet for Web browsing and email through an Internet Service Provider (ISP), but if you don’t, we will have a recommendation. These providers simply give you a pipeline to the Internet. And, the bigger the pipe the better. Good technical support is a plus.

Click here for our fees for these services.

ACCOUNT SERVICE. This is an hourly charge for the time agency personnel spend on a project or with non-printing vendors managing the project. Basically, this is time, other than sales and routine client/agency matters, that your account representative spends on your account. These charges are highly valuable to the client in facilitating a swift completion of the projects involved. These services are not duplicated by any other agency fees.

AGENCY TIME. This is an over-arching billing category that generally refers to creative and production work. The chronological listing on every invoice will offer further explanation.

BILLING. Typically everything is billed on a project to project basis, however, if a project takes a long time we always bill in-progress. Here is how a “typical” bill from Legend, Inc. looks. Click here.

CLIENT PAYABLES. Not usually charged, but in some cases where work is extensive and commissions minimal, we do reserve the right to charge for this service. For example in New Hampshire, we were placing 30 ads per week in very small publications with commissions under $300. This charge allowed us to continue serving the account, and our client was happy to pay it as agreed in advance.

COMMUNITY AD SHEETS. Many clients are confronted with community advertising requests and opportunities which are really more donations than marketing events. We generally provide pre-approved sheets of varying size, simple-image ads that the clients may place at their discretion with no further involvement of the agency. This service involves a nominal printing fee, plus the production of the original ads and the preparation of the sheets. It saves redundant creative fees for “low end” advertising, yet guarantees the client a consistent quality presentation and message in the community.

CONCEPT. In the development of almost every job there is a certain amount of time spent in a creative and conceptual mode. For example, a client mentions that a particular service or product is not as popular today as it was a few years ago and asks us to improve that situation. We develop the “concept” of a name change, or other solution, implement it with a direct mail piece to existing customers and a radio advertising campaign in search of new customers. At the same time we recommend a PR campaign and an in-house employee re-education program. “Concept” and the development of ideas are really the heart of each project.

COPYWRITING. This is the actual writing of the words that comprise the sales message of the project. Copywriting is the most difficult part of the advertising business and often takes considerable time. Headlines, body copy, articles, and slogans comprise the “Copywriting” portion of our services.

DELIVERIES. Every job must be delivered somewhere. Sometimes a job must be picked up, delivered, picked up and delivered somewhere else. These charges mount up, but there is no alternative. We generally use a courier service ($25 to $50 depending on size of delivery), Federal Express (approximately $20) depending on the size and weight of the delivery, or Express Mail (approximately $12) depending on the size and weight of the delivery.

DISCLAIMER. We fully disclose on all insertion orders and purchase orders written on behalf of our clients, the name of the client, and the fact that we are acting as “agent” for a disclosed principal. Therefore, our agreement with our clients and with the media and vendors we use on their behalf is that we will pay them once we are paid. All difficulties in late payment accrue to the principal, not the agent. As an agent, we place all monies received in a “Client Trust Account” (CTA) out of which all disbursements are made. This protects our clients, and the agency as well. We pay ourselves from the CTA, just as we would any vendor or media. Hence, this agency lives on what it earns, not what is owed to others. Your cooperation in prompt payment is essential to this arrangement.

ESTIMATES. All estimates are based on the agency’s time and/or vendor services planned for this project, as described above, through the first pass. Our estimates are not quotes. All estimates do not include client changes (subsequent to the first pass), supplies, taxes, or deliveries, which are determined once the project is complete. If the project evolves beyond the scope and time originally estimated above, this will be reflected in changes in the agency’s final billing. All projects will be billed in progress at monthly intervals, until complete, if necessary.

FAX & EMAIL SERVICES. $2 per FAX, no charge for email services, except time involved.

INTERNET SITE DESIGN, MANAGEMENT, AND GRAPHICS. We are typically interested in designing content based sites. Our philosophy concerning the Internet is that it is a basically an intellectual exploration process and that the number one reason for accessing sites is to seek out information, not entertainment. Legendinc.com is a good example. We feel that as a readership is built for each site (a “community” in some terminologies) its success will be guaranteed. Extreme animations, music on arrival, blinking, flashing and streaming videos are generally not part of our entry pages and. if used, reserved for internal locations accessible once a visitor starts to make destination choices within the site. We also produce our sites to be accessible from cellphone and other handheld devices, which requires a simplification design as well. Additional information on setting up your site and virtual hosting services: click here. See below for pricing.

LAYOUT/DESIGN. This service takes the concept to the next tangible step: it gets it from the concept level to the on-paper level. Sometimes this takes the most time of all of our services because, after the substance of the idea is developed, how it is ultimately seen is crucial. “Layout/Design” develops the presentation and plans the overall graphic scope of the project.

MARK-UPS AND COMMISSIONS. We generally mark up vendor assignments 15% to 30%, and all media billings 15% to 20%. If the media has a “national” rate, then there is a built-in commission for the agency.

MECHANICAL PREPARATION. This is the “hands-on” preparation of a mechanical for publication or printing. Traditionally this was actually done on an artist’s drawing board; today, technology allows us to do all mechanical preparation via computer. Despite the digital revolution, careful calibration, measurement and color work still take time and skill.

MEDIA PLANS & PREPARATlONS. This is a monthly activity (for some clients a yearly activity) in which we create an advertising calendar, with prices, broken down by media, by week, and with totals. This is generally done mid-month for the coming month and is invoiced monthly with the media.

MEDIA RELATIONS. This is all activity responding to calls from the media on our client’s behalf. Generally this activity alerts you to special sections, changes in schedules, opportunities for price breaks or positioning, new media resources and the like. This allows you to refer all incoming media calls to us, and saves you all the time talking with media salesmen. This service is invoiced monthly with the media.

MEDIA TRAFFIC & INSERTIONS. This is a clerical charge that is generally a small fraction of the media charges, and is invoiced monthly with the media. This also includes double-checking rates and the placement specifics of each ad that runs as well as monitoring contract fulfillment and opportunities.

OWNERSHIP OF ARTWORK, ETC. Clients own all artwork associated with projects, once a project is paid in full, unless otherwise noted on the estimate or invoice. This includes negatives, mechanicals, designs, and files, unless otherwise stated at the time. If a dispute occurs, all artwork is retained by the agency until resolved in full.

PARTIAL PREPAYMENT. We reserve the right to require partial prepayment for new clients and sometimes in cases of extensive projects requiring large out-of-pocket expenditures at the outset.

PAYMENT. We ordinarily bill with terms of 15 days. We expect clients who have questions about our invoices or charges to call us immediately upon receipt. We reserve the right to charge for (1) late payments and (2) late fees charged to us due to late payment by a client. We also view the speed of payment as a comment on our work. Happy clients always pay immediately. We currently have less than 2% of accounts receivable overdue. Since 1979, we have been involved in no litigation, and although we have a renowned collection firm, it is a very rare occasion when they are needed. We aim to please from start to finish.

PHOTOGRAPHY & PHOTO PROCESSING. These are generally flat rates, arranged with the client. Photography charges are based on hourly or day rates. Photo processing is the supplies and actual prints or transparencies resulting from the photography and generally comprises 10% to 15% of the photography charges.

PRICING. Hourly rates and flat fees. revised: 11/23/09

NOTES. (1) Includes general, non-routine time agency personnel spend on each project. Itemization is always available. Whenever time is covered by a specific function, it is listed and identified by one of the services above. In general we do not charge for routine client/agency relations. Special planning meetings and travel requested by the clients are billed. (2) Website pricing does not include stock photos, animations (beyond basic rollovers), video streaming, proofreading and illustrations, if required.

PRINTING MANAGEMENT. This is really an account service charge, but we itemize it for a greater understanding on our clients’ part. This is the time we spend finding the right printer, monitoring printers to expedite projects, insuring that all specifications remain as ordered through the process. This hourly charge pays the agency to find the least expensive vendor or printer (within our quality and service parameters). Many times this charge is less than $200. We are able to save our clients thousands of dollars, debilitating delays and reprints. If our clients do not want to manage their own printing, we require this function and estimate it ahead of time. Sometimes, clients who do their own printing ask us to independently check the prices they are getting, with often very interesting results. Print bidding is a specialized skill, as all printers will tell you. The more complicated the job, the more difficult it is.

PROCESS CAMERA. This is the time spent working at enlarging, reducing, reviewing or reworking artwork. Also included is laser printing, scanning, and color inkjet printing in this category.

PROJECT AND “IN-PROGRESS” BILLING. Ordinarily we bill once the project is complete. However, if a project takes more than two weeks, we reserve the right to bill it “in progress.” This means a partial billing payable prior to completion and billing the remainder once the project is completed. This allows us to continue to devote time to a project without affecting our cash flow, and yet, it still reserves normal client prerogatives in the final payment.

PROJECT NUMBERS. As a point of interest, we started with project #1 in 1979. Currently we are nearing project #17,000.

PROOFREADING. We itemize this charge for your information. There is nothing more important than professional proofreading. It is noted on all estimates that this charge is not included at the estimate phase because it is impossible to estimate ahead of time. Experience has taught us to reserve this service until the end of a project, and sometimes due to changes it must be repeated. But, as just stated, there is nothing more important than professional proofreading. Proofreading is included for html conversions, word processing documents, all creative production, and even reviewing client-supplied materials. We will not accept responsibility for typographical, or content errors unless the client approves this expenditure. We highly recommend it.

PUBLICATION/PRODUCTION MATERIALS. After an advertisement or collateral piece is approved by the client, instead of sending the original to the publication or printer in question we make a production quality duplicate. This is generally (for black and white) done at a flat fee. Four-color publication/production materials are more expensive. Also because almost all media and printing resources have different mechanical specifications for publication and printing, each of these sets of materials usually require some additional mechanical manipulations and agency time. These are unavoidable. Even when resources accept digital transmission, their individual specifications still must be accommodated.

Publication/printing materials can be a source of confusion because they are the end of the creative process that generally proceeds are follows: concept and copywriting (plus photography, illustrations, or other graphic element purchase, procurement or origination), mechanical preparation, client revisions and approval, final proofreading, final scans and rainbow color proofs (not part of the publication materials and difficult to estimate until production process is complete), and then the final publication or printing materials.

SALES TAX. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts dictates that we charge 6.25% tax on all invoices, excluding media billings and deliveries. We have been audited twice by the Commonwealth for sales tax collection and payment, and in both cases have received a perfect evaluation with no fines or charges. All tax charges are monitored on a quarterly basis by our accounting firm, and all details are available upon request.

SOCIAL MEDIA DEVELOPMENT AND CAMPAIGNS:  Facebook, Twitter, InstGram, SecondLife, QRC, YouTube, FourSquare, LinkedIn, and many other social media outlets require experience, thoughtfulness, and technical savvy to develop and implement, plus “engagement” strategic development, content origination and maintenance after launch are the most challenging elements of all. We have the knowledge, experience, and pricing you may be looking for.

SUPPLIES. There is a minimal charge on each project to cover agency supplies required for agency account maintenance and overall preparedness, such as, project storage space, temporary urls and sites, ink cartridges, incidental deliveries, conference calls, to only mention a few.

TIME. All projects are billed based on agency time (plus outside charges). Itemizations of time are always available upon request.

TYPESETTING. This is the actual keystroking the copywriting into the computers. Typesetting is the initial step in preparing a mechanical for publication or printing.

WEB SITE SETUP. Click here for the details.

Many of our clients rely on us for everything including media and vendor placements plus creative and production work; but it’s always up to them.

We maintain a separate CTA (Client Trust Account) for our clients’ funds and operate our agency from an account we refer to as our AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) account. It has always been our practice to fund all operations through our actual income not from cash flow from total billings. That is an important distinction to the savvy client.

Over the years we have “inherited” many excellent clients from advertising agencies that went out of business living on their cash flow. Many of those clients were forced to pay the media and vendors again when their agency ceased operations without paying the vendors. Media and vendors always hold the clients ultimately responsible UNLESS the agency protects their clients ahead of time, as we do. We will fill you in on the details of this agency business practice, but it is clearly demonstrative of our overall business practice of always putting our clients and their interests first.

We believe in strong client-agency relationships and insist on them. For those services and projects which you hire us to perform, we will become a partner, not just another vendor. We are easy to deal with, responsive and internally we maintain a simple and efficient organization and management system.

The first project with any new relationship is always the most difficult and sometimes it is also the most important. Our average client relationship currently is well over 12 years. Some of our relationships have prospered for far longer than that. It is in our best relationships where we believe we always perform our best work.

Our key personnel and associates have been together for many years. Sometimes our clients go through growing pains and a changing of their personnel. The changing personnel syndrome can create a changing advertising agency syndrome as well. Changing personnel within a company can mean growth and progress, if it handled well. But, changing advertising agencies can be disruptive, expensive, and a major setback in brand management. We encourage periodic reviews, if needed, and other mechanisms of relationship-building to avoid these problems. An enduring and honest advertising agency relationship can maintain a great creative advantage for clients and should always be a goal from both sides of the equation.

We are available for meetings, but most of our business is conducted via other means. Meetings can an expensive waste of time. Excessive emphasis on meetings can indicate a relationship that needs more trust. We meet in person with most of our clients as needed, but we are in contact with them in other ways almost every day.

Basically, our business practices can be summarized in this phrase: we treat our clients the way we would like to be treated. And we never take anything for granted.